Smart home technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years. It’s now gotten to the point where a fairly substantial percentage of houses have at least some type of smart home device, such as smart door locks or a smart thermostat. Many types of smart home technology are mostly about making your life more convenient, but some can also help you save on your energy bills. In this article, we’ll look at the most effective types of smart home technology for saving energy and also some other useful options you may want to consider.
How a Smart Thermostat Can Save on Cooling and Heating Costs
In terms of energy savings and the return on your investment, a smart thermostat is almost always going to provide the biggest results. Smart thermostats give you the ability to control your home’s heating and air conditioning using any connected mobile device. For instance, it’s not an issue if you forget to turn your heating or AC down before leaving for work. Let’s say you have your heating or AC set so that it turns down when you leave for work and then turns back up later so your home is fully comfortable when you get back. If you know you’ll be later than usual, you can use the app to keep your heating or AC turned down until later to reduce how much energy it uses. If you’ll be early, you can change the temperature earlier than usual so that you can ensure your home is already as warm or cool as you want when you arrive.
While any smart thermostat provides added convenience, only ENERGY STAR-certified models are independently proven to provide significant energy savings. That’s because these models have additional features like eco modes and energy monitoring, specifically designed to improve HVAC energy efficiency. When set to eco mode, the thermostat will make small changes to your settings so that your heating or AC only runs as much as needed to keep your home comfortable without using more energy than necessary. The energy monitoring feature makes it easy to see how much gas or electricity you’re using to heat or cool your house and can even give you tips on ways to reduce energy usage without any major impact on your comfort. Some units can also monitor the weather and turn your heating or AC up or down based on current and predicted temperatures so that your home is always comfortable and your HVAC doesn’t run more than necessary.
If you have a smart home hub, you can combine various devices as well. For instance, if you have a smart thermostat that monitors your weather, you can connect it to the hub so that you receive an alert any time it’s cool enough that you can turn your air conditioning off and open your windows. Since the air conditioner doesn’t need to cool your home in that case, you’ll see reduced energy usage overall.
Benefits of Installing Smart Window Coverings
Another investment that can provide major dividends is installing smart window shades or blinds. Keeping your windows uncovered throughout the day in summer always leads to your air conditioning having to do more work due to the sunlight and heat the windows allow inside. In the winter, having your windows uncovered during the day can lighten the workload on your heating system by helping your home stay a bit warmer. Closing your window coverings in winter once the sun goes down also reduces your heating needs by helping trap heat in and keep cold out. If you have smart window shades, you can automatically open and close them from anywhere at the push of a button. Alternatively, you can just use the app to program the shades to open and close at different times of the day. While the motor on smart window coverings obviously uses electricity, you can still end up saving quite a bit by reducing how much your heating and air conditioning has to run.
Another growing technology is smart glass. Though it’s not as widespread as something like smart lights, smart glass allows you to switch your windows between clear and an opaque frosted state for privacy. Where it comes in handy is that the privacy mode blocks UV light from passing through, reducing the amount of heat it transfers into your home.
How Smart Lighting Provides Energy Savings and Added Convenience
Smart light bulbs and light fixtures can also potentially help you save a bit on your electricity bills. Most smart lighting is dimmable, which allows the lights to use less energy any time you don’t have them at full brightness. You can also turn your lights on and off remotely and use your smart home hub app to check if you forgot to turn any lights off when you left. If you’re going out in the evening, like with smart thermostats, you can make sure your outdoor lights are on as long as you can access the internet. Some even allow you to connect everything to the voice assistant on your phone and control your lighting using voice commands.
Other Types of Smart Home Technology to Consider Installing
Another useful addition that can save energy is installing smart outlets and switches in certain parts of your home or using smart power strips. Many electronics like TVs and stereos have an issue with standby energy waste. What this means is that the device still continually uses a small amount of electricity even when you shut it off. Some electronics allow you to turn off the standby mode to prevent this issue, but there are others where the only thing you can do is unplug the device. This is where connecting certain outlets to a smart switch can be useful since it allows you to just shut off the electricity to the outlet instead of having to unplug your devices to save energy.
Installing a smart garage door opener is a great way to improve home security, as you need to use either the remote or a phone that’s connected to the opener. You can use the app to check if your door is closed or set it to receive an alert if the door stays open for too long.
Smart leak detection devices and smart water shut-offs are also extremely useful for ensuring your home has no plumbing leaks. Some devices will run regular tests that can quickly detect even tiny leaks so you know if you need to call a plumber. If you have a smart water shut-off, it will even automatically turn the water to your home off if your plumbing starts leaking. You’ll also receive a notification on your phone that your home has a leak and use the app to turn your water off and on if needed.
Potts Electric is a family-owned company offering exceptional electric services in Ellisville and throughout the St. Louis Metro area. We specialize in smart home technology and offer a range of innovative solutions that can help make your home more efficient so you save energy and also make your life more convenient. To learn more about the benefits smart home technology can provide or to schedule an appointment for any installation or repair service, contact us today.
